Cover Stories: Robert Maxwell, Philip Pullman, A Computer Called Leo

It's 11 years since Robert Maxwell went for his last swim. The occasion will not go unmarked. Gordon Thomas and Martin Dillon's Robert Maxwell: Israel's Superspy, due in December from Carroll & Graf, provides evidence for the case that the Bouncing Czech was killed by Mossad "because he was threatening to expose his knowledge of Israeli secrets unless he received Israeli help in propping up his failing businesses". Thomas and Dillon allege that the agents boarded the yacht under cover of darkness, injected the tycoon with a nerve gas, and lowered the body into the sea.

¿ Congratulations to Philip Pullman – again. The Whitbread-winning author can now add the Eleanor Farjeon Award to his mantelpiece. The prize, in honour of the woman whose greatest claim to fame is probably "Morning has broken", recognises Pullman's "outstanding contribution to children's literature".

¿ Until now, Lyons' Corner Houses were famous for their so-called Nippies and their ability to provide a quick cuppa and a penny bun. But science writer Georgina Ferry is working on a book which details another claim to fame. John Simmons was, in the 1930s, the man responsible for the hand-checking of all Lyons bills. He decided to build a machine to automate the millions of transactions and process them quickly. A Computer Called Leo chronicles Simmons's amazing mission, which briefly put Britain at the forefront of global business.